Those With Feathers Flock Together
by KoinuSephiroth
Summary: What will Cloud do now that Sephiroth has to live with him. It was bad enough that he was revived, and now this? Well, you'll just have to wait and see what happens.Ch. 4 is up!
1. Sephiroth moves in

For those of you that like Cloud, I'll warn you that I don't like him too too much. If I didn't like him at all, then I wouldn't write this. But you might not want to read this if you really like him.

Disclaimer: do not own FFVII, or anything in it. If I did, then this wouldn't be called a fanfic. Although I with I owned Sephiroth, I don't. Oh darn.

**Ch.1-Sephiroth moves in**

At last, Gaia was safe, and didn't need any saving for the time being. But Sephiroth was alive now, under certain conditions. He had gone through major therapy. And wasn't necessarily all that much better than before.

"Oh Clouuuudy! Lunch is ready!" came a baritone voice from the dining room. Cloud groaned. His simple mind hadn't thought out any consequences of what might happen with Sephiroth living in his house, or of what the therapy might do to him. Neither part was good. He kept mentally kicking himself ever since for making such a big mistake. He got up and trudged towards the dining room. Two days and already he couldn't stand it! "Are you all right? Your sandwich is going to get cold! Oh, I do hope you like ham sandwiches! And you don't mind lettuce or tomato, do you?" Sephiroth called out to Cloud.

"Whatever," Cloud muttered as he walked into the dining room and sat down. If only he was smarter. Then he wouldn't have made this mistake. Oh well. He had, and had to live with it. He looked at his sandwich. It was a sub roll cut in half, with ham, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato all stuffed into it, so much that it was bursting out of the edges.

"It represents how much love I packed into it, Cloudy!" he said, grinning. Somehow, a baritone voice just wasn't meant to sound cheery. "Now eat up!" He started whistling a tune. He then searched around the kitchen for something. "Ah-hah!" he said triumphantly, and pulled out the blender that Tifa had given Cloud for Christmas.

Cloud spit out the bite he had just taken. "S-S-Sephiroth, what are you going to do with that!" he asked nervously. He watched as the silver-haired man pulled out various fruit: two bananas, strawberries, two oranges, some crème de coconut, and a lemon. He set them all down on the counter.

Sephiroth grinned. "I'm making a treat! I do hope you'll like it." He then skipped over to the cupboard, and pulled out the sugar container, then went to the freezer and pulled out the ice tray, and set it all down on the counter along with the fruits.

"I'm, er, really not thirsty," Cloud said quickly, "so all this really isn't necessary." He wasn't hungry either, he thought. He wasn't about to trust anything that Sephiroth made. He didn't, actually, trust him at all. He was acting so nice to him. Too nice. "And be careful with the blender. It's new." But he wasn't so much worried about the blender's safety as he was about his own. This was just too creepy.

"Oh Cloudy!" Do you really not trust me? I'm hurt. I would never _dream_ of defiling any of your stuff! Not even a crumb on your plate!" Sephiroth said, sounding shocked and hurt, while pouting. "But, what should I expect. You probably don't trust anyone," he said. "You should really open up more."

"Um, er, sure." Cloud didn't buy the act, but boy was he confused. Perhaps if he had more brain power, he would have been worried also about some what ifs, like _What if he's planning to sneak up on me while I'm vulnerable, and hurt me? Or worse?_ But no. His mind didn't deem those important thoughts to have. There wasn't enough room. "Erm, but really, Sephiroth," Cloud continued, "I'm not thirsty. Not at all." Wow. Sephiroth's nice-ness was scaring him, fake or not.

"Awwww! But I've already started to make them!" Sephiroth complained, pointing at the blender. Sure enough, there were already some strawberries and a banana in the blender. He _had_ already started to make one. He was currently working on peeling the orange. "Gee, I hope you'll drink it," He pleaded. "It would be a waste if you didn't." He gave Cloud the puppy dog eyes. It didn't work, but all of the thinking had made him thirsty. He gave in for his own personal benefit. He figured that as long as he kept an eye on Sephiroth, he should be safe.

"Fine, I'll drink the damned thing. But only 'cause I'm thirsty," He grumbled. He tried to sound as reluctant as possible, even though he highly doubted that it would be poisoned, and he wanted to see how Sephiroth made a smoothie.

"Yaaaaaay!" Sephiroth shouted gleefully. He put the rest of the ingredients into the blender, and then turned it on. Nothing happened. "Oops! I need to plug it in. Silly me!" He plugged it in, and then turned it on. It made its regular blender noise, which was rather loud. "I HOPE YOU'LL LIKE IT!" he shouted over the noise of the blender. When everything was blended completely together, he stopped it. He then proceeded to pour the contents into a glass. He put a straw in it and handed it to Cloud. The straw was pink. Sephiroth evidently noticed Cloud's staring at it, because he then said, "Pink is such a lovely color!" Woah. Cloud decided that he was going to get a human lie detector to interrogate Sephiroth when he got the chance.

Cloud tentatively took a small sip. Sephiroth in the meantime watched him intently, obviously, awaiting Cloud's opinion. "It's hor–" Wait, it wasn't horrible. It actually tasted good. It wasn't too sour, or too sweet, like he expected. Maybe Sephiroth knew something about making smoothies. "It's good."

"Great! I'm glad you like it! I mean, I don't know a thing about cooking or anything, so for al I know it could've tasted like crap! Hahaha!" He laughed delightedly for a few seconds, then continued. "So, how about you try the sandwich? I mean, really try it. Don't spit any more out; you don't want to waste any food do you? If you don't like it, then I'll eat it. But, I mean, how can you screw up making a _sandwich_! I'm sure it'll be just fine," He said, laughter in his tone.

Cloud took his first, actually, second bite. The sandwich was, not at all to his surprise, good. "Yeah, it's good," he said nonchalantly. He needn't comment any more on it.

\/\/\/

Sephiroth was pleased. He knew that it would take a while to gain his trust, but at least Cloud would eat his food. Well, he felt bad about all of the stuff he had done to him in the past. But Mother had wanted him to, and he listened to Mother. He now realized that Jenova was not technically his mother, and that Cloud was actually someone he could get along with, and he was fun to be with. He wished he hadn't done all that nasty stuff to him. But he didn't want to dwell on the past. He wanted to work on having a future with him, and that meant gaining his trust. He loved him, and therefore didn't want Cloud to be afraid of him. Maybe he was being too nice. Yes, that was it. He really wasn't that nice. _Cloudie!_ He didn't like that. But he had been trying to get Cloud to realize that he was a changed man. Jenova was out of the picture now, and the therapist had helped him regain his sanity. He was even best friends with the therapist now! This life was a _lot_ better than his I-can't-take-this-anymore Shinra life, or his Jenova-wants-me-to-become-one-with-the-planet-so-I-will life.

The first thing Sephiroth had done was convince the group to allow him to stay at Cloud's house. Ah, he remembered how he had won the argument. He was mostly bs-ing it, for he was still a bit evil, and some interesting ideas of what to do to the other members of Cloud's group.

/\

_"I suggest that I stay at Cloud's apartment." Sephiroth stated simply. They all stared at him; Cloud, Cid, Tifa, Yuffie, Barret, Cait Sith, Vincent (well, that really wasn't new; Vincent had been staring at him the whole time.), Nanaki, and Aeris (yes, she had been resurrected, before Sephiroth was. He wondered why Tifa agreed to that – she wanted Cloud to herself. But she liked Aeris also, so he guessed that it made sense that she wanted Aeris resurrected.). _

_"N-no!" Tifa said, being the first to remember how to talk. "I don't want Cloud getting hurt. You should stay with Barret and I, like I've been discussing." She really didn't want that, he could tell. But she wanted to keep Cloud safe, and no one else wanted to touch Sephiroth with a ten-foot pole._

_"But," Sephiroth started, "theoretically, if I was perchance still evil, even though I'm not even in the slightest bit, or if I had any evil notions on what to do to anybody, would it not be safest for me to stay at Cloud's? I mean, he's the leader of you guys, is he not, and he wouldn't be if he weren't the strongest. Therefore he would be able to protect himself the best. He would be the best one to keep me out of trouble." Actually, he hoped to get into some trouble with Cloud. But that wasn't the point. "Do you guys not agree?" He, having been standing during the whole speech, now sat down in his chair and folded his hands on his lap._

_"Uuuh," Tifa said. She wasn't entirely sure, but it did seem to make sense. She looked at Vincent, who shrugged._

_"I think it's a bad idea having Sephiroth in the same room as us, and having a civil conversation with him. If you were to have listened to me, then he would undoubtedly still been resting in that tomb of his. But, you did not heed my advice. I shall have to atone for my sins after this is through." Vincent calmly stated. Sephiroth groaned. That Vincent must enjoy getting everyone around him depressed._

_"Uum, I think having Sephiroth stay with Cloud is probably the best thing to do." Aeris decided. "I don't trust him in the slightest, and I believe Cloud will do a good job of keeping him in check. Does anyone disagree?" No one seemed to. "Good, then it's settled. I'm sorry for sticking him on you Cloud, but it seems like the best thing to do. Well, good luck! I really have to get to work now." Aeris kissed Cloud quickly and left the room. Everyone else slowly proceeded to leave also. Sephiroth had won. Yes, he though._

_/\_

Little did they know, Cloud was the _worst _person to hand over Cloud to. Not because he was weak, or a bit dim-witted, but because Cloud definitely did not like Sephiroth in _that_ way. _Oh, but he will, no matter what it takes. Why, he might already like me deep down! Ah, wishful thinking. _Sephiroth thought. But none of them knew what Cloud was planning, so it was fairly easy to get them to agree to this housing arrangement.

The first thing that Sephiroth did once he got to Cloud's house was to look in the kitchen. Just as he had suspected, there was just enough food to feed Cloud for about a week. Cloud wasn't prepared to have Sephiroth living in his humble abode. So he had gone grocery shopping in disguise. He had put his hair up on top of his head and put it under a hat, then wore tan cargo pants and a black tank-top. He also had worn a darkish blue long-coat over it, because it had been cold that day.

Now, he was satisfied that the food was enough to last both of them two weeks. Also, Sephiroth had long since gotten a new wardrobe, so there was nothing that needed to be done away from the house, other than Cloud's job. But today was Sunday.

"Cloud?" Sephiroth said, an idea popping up into his head.

"Mm?" Cloud mumbled, his mouth full. He glanced up at Sephiroth, looking like _At least he's not calling me Cloudy!_

"Well, how would you like to go for a walk in the park on the roof?" This would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Cloud, and start to gain his trust, given no one else was there. When Cloud glanced down at his food, Sephiroth quickly stated "When you're done eating, of course. Oh, and by the way, do you want some desert? I bought some of those mini pies. "

Cloud shook his head. He looked as if he was trying to figure out Sephiroth's motive. _Oh, you'll never guess that it's just to have a friendly talk, will you my Cloud? _Sephiroth thought. No, of course Cloud wouldn't think that. That would be the last thing he would expect. Cloud was probably waiting for Sephiroth to lose his cool and go all psycho-maniac on him. But no, Sephiroth wasn't going to do that unless he decided that Cloud didn't have the mental capacity to understand Sephiroth's love for him, or his possible love for Sephiroth.

Of course, Sephiroth would be crushed if Cloud rejected him once he knew and believed the whole truth. He was relying on pure hope that Cloud wouldn't do that. He would of course go on living, for he was not really the suicide type, but he didn't know if he could ever be happy again if Cloud truly despised him when he learned the truth. But, at least for now, he didn't need to think about that.

"Naw, M'fine." Cloud mumbled, again having food in his mouth. He swallowed, then said "And hmm, I s'pose I'll go for a walk. Just don't try anything bad, 'cause I'm perfectly willing to and capable of killing you again. Now let me finish eating in peace, please." He turned back to the sandwich in his hand, and took another bite. He looked like while he really didn't want to go on a walk with Sephiroth, a walk sounded like a good idea. He would probably try to sneak out on his own.

"Okay, I'll leave you to eat in peace. I'll be in the living room waiting." Sephiroth said, smirking slightly. He heard Cloud mutter a curse. He knew why. Cloud wanted to go on a walk in the roof-park alone. The stairs were in the living room. As long as Sephiroth was in the living room, there was no way he was going to go on that walk alone. Yup, he would just have to accept the fact that Sephiroth was going with him. That was why Sephiroth had chosen to wait in the living room. He turned around, his long, shiny hair spreading out behind him. Although his hair was annoying sometimes at such a tremendously long length, he liked it that way. His hair was cool this long; everyone knew that.

He walked into the living room, feeling the glare on his back. He then sat down on the couch. The couch was a kind of nice, velvety couch, that was threadbare in spots. Plus it was a bit lumpy. But if you sat in the right spot, it was plenty comfy. Sephiroth was already beginning to feel right at home here. It had been only a day, but because the place was so small, he already knew his way around. There was a living room, a kitchen/dining room, a bathroom, and a bedroom. Sephiroth got the couch in the living room to sleep on. Wasn't he so lucky. Cloud didn't trust him in his own room. Nope, he got the lumpy couch. Either that or the floor. The _hardwood_ floor. Sephiroth decided that he wanted to listen to some music. He went over to the radio, which was in better shape than the couch (probably Cloud used the couch a lot.), and turned it on. It was news. He changed the station; more news. Again; more farking news. What the hell! Did they even _play_ music anymore? He changed the station one more time. It was music. _Classical_ music. Classical music was okay and all, but Sephiroth just didn't get into it. He turned the radio off. _Well that was completely and utterly useless! _he thought angrily.

He heard a chair being pushed out from the table. That meant that Cloud was done eating. Now he had only to wait for him to come into the living room. He waited. He heard the trash can lid clang shut. He then heard the sink. He then heard…a door. The bathroom door. _Greaaaat._ Now he had to wait for Cloud to go to the bathroom, and then fix up his hair. That would take a good ten minutes. Back to the radio. And guess what? _All news._ It must be his lucky day. But, low and behold, they were playing one of his favorite songs on one of the stations – Get a life you ho. It was hard rock, which was his favorite genre of music. He started getting into the music, even playing an air guitar, and banging his head up and down like a rock star. His eyes, about a minute and a half into the song, happened to catch a glimpse of the doorway to the kitchen. Cloud was there. He was staring at Sephiroth like he was completely out of his mind. Uh-oh. He turned the radio off quickly.

"Erm, I see you're done eating, Cloud! Well, sorry about anything I did that may have bothered you, but, umm, I'm afraid I just got into the music." 'Crap,' he thought, 'he must not have needed to fix up his hair.' "How much did you see?" He hoped it wasn't much, that he had just gotten out of the bathroom.

"Ever since your 'first guitar solo'." Cloud said. He sounded really creeped out. Well, maybe this was a good thing. It would get Cloud thinking that he was just a normal human now. 'I mean, I bet Cloud's done that kind of thing before.' He hoped he wasn't just making excuses for himself. "Well, um, let's go for that walk." Cloud said slowly, like now it was the _last_ thing he wanted to do.

"Um, Okay. Let's go." Sephiroth replied, and they both started heading up the long stairway to the roof.

**/Sephiroth moves inend/**

A/N: This chapter was written over a long period of time, because of school. So it's not the best, but I didn't want to just scrap it and start over, because I wouldn't finish the second version. One of my friends thought it was lacking (LordFluffy'sMinion). It was only SesshouMario, who kept bugging me to finish chapter one, that got me to not be lazy and finish it. Well, all of that aside, I hope you liked chapter 1!


	2. A Walk in the Park

**Ch.2-A walk in the park**

Sephiroth made it up to the roof before Cloud. He looked around at the plants. It was a strange idea, having a park on the roof, but it was nice to have one. New Midgar didn't have much plant life, so a park was nice. There were various types of trees, like pine and oak, and also some he didn't recognize. It also smelled nice up here. In most other places, there was still the stench of the old Midgar. It was a nice, peaceful place, a place you could relax in. A place you could…

"Um, Sephiroth?" Cloud said from behind him, disrupting his train of thought. "You're blocking the entrance to the park. Would you mind moving?" He sounded rather annoyed, but also wary of the fact that he could very well be a goner if he was pushed down the stairs.

"Hmm? Oh yes, of course." Sephiroth moved to the side, allowing Cloud to enter the park. "This is a nice park. Who had the idea of making it?" He went over to a bench and sat down.

"Oh, Aeris did. She really loves flowers. And aren't we supposed to be walking, and not just sitting down and having a conversation?" Cloud replied, noticing that Sephiroth was perched on a bench.

"Hmm? Oh yes, we are." Sephiroth got up. He began to walk at a leisurely pace. It really was a nice place that Aeris had come up with the idea of. Probably she had wished for one before she died. Then, when she was reincarnated, she made one, most likely planting it herself. "Well, Cloud, aren't you going to follow?" he asked Cloud, who was looking down the other path there. The park was almost a maze, with multiple paths you could choose to take. Cloud wanted to take a path other than the one Sephiroth did.

"Yeah, I'm right behind you." Cloud replied, cursing to himself. But he still decided he was going to take the other path. Sephiroth jumped in front of him. Cloud looked scared, but not too much. He more looked like _I knew bringing him back was a bad idea._ Oops. Maybe he shouldn't have gone with that approach. Oh well, what's done was done.

"Now Cloud, I thought you were right behind me. At least, that's what you said. Lying is bad, you know. Now come on. I don't want to spend all day just getting you to stop acting so damn immature!" Cloud was so frustrating! Oh well, all the hard work would eventually pay off.

"Umm, Sephiroth, calm down. I just like, umm, taking walks alone." Cloud said. He tried to look really annoyed that Sephiroth wouldn't let him do that.

"Can you please walk with me, just this once?" Sephiroth pleaded, attempting to sound pitiful. It obviously didn't though, for his face was built to look fairly emotionless, not pitiful. "I would enjoy the company."

"Umm, suure. But you see, I don't really want to. So I'll just be on my w-" Sephiroth grabbed one of the spikes on Cloud's head.

"Am I going to have to put you on a leash, _Cloudie?_" Sephiroth complained. "I didn't realize how hard it was to walk with me." Now come along. With that, Cloud finally decided Sephiroth wasn't going to give up trying, so followed Sephiroth down the other path.

_Woah, what was up with the personality change?_ Cloud thought. _Just a short while ago, he was all nice, and now he's being strict and mean. Maybe now he's showing his true colors._ He glanced at Sephiroth. He was holding his head while walking. …Wait, why was he holding his head?

"Um, Sephiroth, why are you holding your head?" he asked. When Sephiroth looked back at him, he looked like he was happy that Cloud cared, but he only had a slight smile.

"Oh, it's nothing much. Just a small headache. Sorry if it makes me a bit testy. It's just that this kind of thing happened a lot with Jenova in my head all the time." He grinned ruefully. "Do you have anything to help headaches? I'll want one after the walk if it still hurts." He turned back to face the path, and continued walking.

_Jenova gave him a headache?_ Cloud thought._ Well, I guess that makes sense. Her voice was probably so annoying, that it had an affect on Sephiroth's head._ He would give him something when they got back, then try to avoid Sephiroth for the rest of the day. This was too much time to spend with him in just one day, or even in one week. Maybe he could invite Tifa or Aeris over later, or maybe someone else. He of course couldn't invite Tifa and Aeris over, and only them, because they both liked him. It was obvious. Cloud personally didn't have any preference as to who he liked more. He'd have to decide sooner or later, he knew, and they'd just have to deal with the decision. _I'll invite Aeris over tonight._ Cloud decided._ I need to make up for all the time I couldn't spend with her._ But he was getting off topic.

"Yeah, I have something I can give ya." He responded. "How'd you get a headache?"

"Oh, probably just from thinking too much. " Sephiroth responded. Oh. That happened to Cloud sometimes. Whenever he tried to recall a fuzzy memory, he would think too hard, and his head couldn't take the stress. But wait… something didn't make sense. What could Sephiroth be thinking that was giving him a headache?

"What are you thinking that's giving a headache?" Cloud inquired. He had never really understood the concept of private thoughts.

"Oh. Just something that's been bugging me." He stated simply. He hoped that Cloud wouldn't think to ask what. But of course he was thinking too much of Cloud.

"What? What's bugging you?" Cloud said. He had completely forgot about hating Sephiroth for the moment.

"It's something that's bugged me since I was reincarnated." He started. Cloud was staring at him, drinking in every word. "How was it possible? The planet would never allow it. I don't deserve it."

"The planet thinks in a way I don't get." Cloud replied. "But also, you weren't reincarnated (A/N: Woah, big word. Careful Cloud, you don't want your brain to explode!); you weren't dead." He looked at the not-believing expression on Sephiroth's face. "Yeah, I know. Hard to believe, huh? But it's true. But there's a good reason. How about I fill you in on what happened the day you were resurrected."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_After resurrecting Aeris, the gang had headed to where Sephiroth's body lay. It was under Aeris' orders that they were there. It had been surprisingly easy to resurrect Aeris, They just need to combine Nanaki using revive and a phoenix down. But they hadn't had enough time to even think about how to bring her back until after they'd killed Sephiroth. Actually, that wasn't completely true. Vincent had thought plenty about it. He was the one that came up with the idea._

_They didn't regret bringing Aeris back, but were it anyone else they would have. She had a list of things to do that she'd had a while to compose, being dead and all. The first thing on the list had been to resurrect Sephiroth. She was very good at the art of persuasion. They had taken the time to resurrect Aeris, not that it was a burden or anything, but then Aeris made them do this the very next day. When she was asked why she would even think of this horrendous act, she had said "I talked to him while I was dead. His spirit, I mean. He's not nearly as bad now that Jenova's out of the way. So I want to give him a chance. Mother Gaia has allowed it."_

_No one wanted to believe that Aeris truly wanted this, but they had to resign to the fact. So, here they were, looking right at Sephiroth's body. Looking at it now, he didn't look all that dangerous. You couldn't see his glowing eyes, and he didn't have an evil, creepy smirk on his face. He could almost, key word being almost, believe Aeris._

_Aeris went over to the body. It was already out and lying on the ground. They had already taken care of that part. It was her turn to do the rest. She pulled out a phoenix down, and used it on Sephiroth. Nothing happened, and after waiting a minute, they realized that nothing was going to happen._

_"There's…a wandering soul here. I can hear it. …Sephiroth?" she thought out loud, sounding very surprised._

_"Just as I thought." Everyone spun around, and stared at Vincent. He rarely spoke. So whatever he was going to say was either going to be important, or a depressing ranting, about death or something like that. Cloud was hoping for the former. "Didn't you find it strange, that Sephiroth wasn't in the Lifestream, Aeris?" Aeris nodded, not wanting to say anything that might interrupt him. "Sephiroth isn't dead. He can't die, not really. The Jenova cells won't allow him. He's still alive, cut barely. But his body is uninhabitable, so his spirit is stuck just floating around, but never too far from his body."_

_Everyone stared at Vincent. "It makes sense." Aeris said, after a few minutes of silence ensued. "So I'll just use cure on the body, so he can use it." And she did just that. After a moment, one of Sephiroth's fingers moved a bit. They all jumped back a bit, surprised._

_"Thank you, Aeris." He said slowly, having not used his mouth in a while. "I suppose I am in your debt now?" He said. His eyes opened a bit, then closed, then opened again, blinked a few times, and then stayed open. "This feels…extremely strange." He thought out loud. His head turned in the direction of the others. "Ah, the whole gang is here, I see. Just _how_ did you get them to come, Aeris?" he said, staring right back at the glaring Cloud._

_"Oh, it just took a little bit of persuasion," Aeris said, smiling sweetly. " And you aren't in my debt. Mother Gaia was the one that allowed you a second chance." Then, noticing Sephiroth trying to sit up, but failing miserably, added "Do you need any help?"_

_"No, I'm fine. I've almost got it." And sure enough, a few minutes later he was sitting up. "So I was allowed a second chance. I wonder why. I suppose I'll never know, though. She never reveals her motives." While he was saying this, he started to get up. He was now standing, and wobbling a bit. But in another moment, he was fine. "I must thank her, when I get the chance."_

_Cloud then walked over to Sephiroth. "I just want to let you know, you're going to be watched, closely. One bad move, and you're dead."_

_Sephiroth laughed. It wasn't maniacal laughter. It was a hearty baritone laugh. "Of course. You have every reason not to trust me. But really, it wasn't my fault I wanted to take over the world. Mother was quite persuasive for a disembodied head. She had this whole become a god thing planned, and she wanted it to happen. Well, can we get out of here? I really don't like this place." And with that, he began to walk towards the Highwind. Aeris walked behind him, while Vincent moved to intercept him._

"_I would never dream of letting anyone who I do not trust entirely, or at least almost entirely," He said, glancing at Yuffie, who blushed, "on the airship. So you are extremely lucky that I'm not the one who allows you on it." Vincent looked at the others. After glancing at Aeris, Cloud and Cid both mumbled "You can get on it."_

_Sephiroth smiled. "Of course." And with that, they all departed on the airship._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I'm assuming that you were aware of everything following that." Cloud concluded, and Sephiroth nodded.

Sephiroth then glanced around. "It appears we've walked around in a circle. We're back at the door." Sure enough, they were. There was the door to the stairs, right in front of them.

Cloud glanced down at his watch. His eyes widened. "Oh shit! Aeris said that she'd come over here to check up on us at three!" It was now half past three. He must have really rambled. They had been walking for an hour, while he had figured they'd only take half an hour.

"Well, we shouldn't make her wait any longer," Sephiroth commented.

"No, we shouldn't. Let's go." So down the stairs they went, wondering what would occur next.

**/Sephiroth moves inend/**

A/N: Wow! This chapter is shorter than chapter one! I was expecting it to be longer. A good deal longer. Oh well. I hope it's just as good, no, better than chapter 1!

P.S. I am _really_ sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter. It's just that it took me a while to be satisfied with the flashback. It's flashback version 4.0.


	3. A New Ally

Koinu-chan: Well, that was _fun._

Sephiroth: walks in Oh, come on, you know you enjoyed it.

K-chan: Yeah, but I worked straight through my birthday. For those reading this, my birthday was December 2. It was my goal to get it up then, but...things happened. So I got it up the day after.

Seph: ...oh…You abbreviated my name!

K-chan: Yup! I like Seph better.

Sephiroth: …grr …Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter…

**Chapter 3-A New Ally**

Cloud was the first one down the stairs. He immediately noticed Aeris sitting on the couch. After another moment, she looked up and noticed him.

"You didn't forget that I was coming, did you?" she joked. "Just kidding. I know you wouldn't forget that. Well, hello Cloud, hello Sephiroth." She said as Sephiroth entered the room. "How are you?"

"I'm quite fine," Sephiroth responded, "and you?"

Aeris cave one of those cute chuckles (A/N: She has one cause I say so XP), and said "Oh, I'm fine too. And you Cloud?" she said, turning her attention to Cloud.

"Uh…oh! I'm…fine!" Cloud said, unconvincingly. Aeris frowned a little. Then, thinking about it, he supposed he was fine, now that Aeris was there. "Just fine," he said, this time more convincingly. He meant it this time.

"That's great!" Aeris said. "Have you two been getting along okay?" she asked. "Are you behaving?" she added.

"Oh, we've had a bit of trouble, but nothing for you to worry about." Sephiroth replied, smiling. Cloud's expression stated otherwise, but he said nothing. If Aeris noticed it, or didn't believe Sephiroth, she didn't show it.

"Can I get you something to drink, Aeris?" Cloud asked. "I have some iced tea in the fridge."

"Or I could make you a nice smoothie," Sephiroth added.

"Oh, I'm fine. But thanks for the offers!" said with her usual smile directed to both of them.

"Oh, it's no problem," Sephiroth assured, at the same time Cloud said "No problem!" Sephiroth grinned, and Aeris smiled back.

"Well, you guys can sit down," Aeris commented after a moment of silence, and her noticing that they were both still standing. The two guys blinked, glanced at each other, and then sat down on either side of Aeris.

"Mm, it's a fine day, isn't it?" Sephiroth commented, looking for a conversation starter.

"Hmm?" Aeris said, looking away from Cloud, who was making some noises that signified him feeling awkward. "Oh, yes, it's very nice. I couldn't have asked for a better day." She bent down and reached into the bag that she had brought. "Perfect for the potato salad I brought!" she continued as she pulled out a container of potato salad.

"Oh, that looks delicious!" Sephiroth exclaimed. "But you didn't have to. We can manage without."

"Well, I knew neither of you could cook very well, so I figured I'd make something for you," Aeris said, happy for the compliment. This got a blush from both of them. Sephiroth could only do simple cooking and food preparing, and Cloud even less. Sephiroth _could_ make a mean sandwich, however.

"I'm making BLTs for dinner. That'll go perfectly with them. I bet you'll love it… unless you aren't planning on staying. But, even if you weren't previously, I'd insist on it anyways." Sephiroth stated matter-of-factly.

"…We're having BLTs?" Cloud inquired. (A/N: Woah. Inquired is a big word to use for Cloud. XD)

Sephiroth shook his head. "I told you this morning, Cloud. Remember? I asked you if Aeris liked BLTs" He could just picture the gears turning, and also the light bulb lighting as he remembered. "A, I see you _do_ remember. Good." He looked at Cloud and Aeris. "So… what do we do now?"

Both Cloud and Aeris both shuddered. (A/N: See the author's note at the end of the fic for an explanation.) "What?" he asked.

"Oh…nothing…" Aeris said slowly. Just…you reminded us of something. Something…not good."

Sephiroth raised he eyebrow, but did not comment. "Well, what _should_ we do now?"

"Umm," Cloud started. "Why did you come Aeris? Let's start with that/"

"Oh, just to chat. You know, catching up?" Another sweet smile, that it was obvious Sephiroth had to try hard not to twitch at. It was…too…sweet. Even now, he could only take so much sweetness.

"Okay," Cloud said, satisfied. "Well, how about se see what's on TV!" he grabbed the remote.

"Uh, Okay!" she responded, her smile ever so slightly fading. She probably wanted to talk, not to watch TV, but she understood Cloud, and knew that he either didn't want to talk, or didn't think of the option. Just in case it was the first one, she wasn't going to say anything. On TV was a stand-up comedian, and she was pretty good, so Aeris didn't mind, and so the smile was back – full strength.

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At six 'o clock, they turned the TV off, and Sephiroth went out to make the BLTs. He heard Cloud start talking animatedly to Aeris. _So, he seemed to like Aeris, and wanted to talk to her only,_ Sephiroth thought. He liked Aeris a lot. More than Sephiroth.

He then heard sizzling noises, and remembered what he was doing. He couldn't space out. But he hadn't spaced out completely like that in a while. Was he really letting this get to him so bad? That _couldn't_ be healthy.

But, as he prepared dinner, he continued to have thoughts about Aeris, in a jealous sort of way. _NO._ he thought. _Aeris is good._ _I shouldn't be jealous at her._ After this thought, he was able to finish preparing diner without any jealous thoughts. He tuned out Aeris and Cloud's conversation as best as he could.

He brought the three plates with BLTs out into the living room, "Would either of you like anything to drink?" he asked politely.

"Oh, I'll just have some juice, thank you. Whatever kind you have." Aeris replied, and Cloud said he'd have the same. So Sephiroth went and got three glasses of white grape juice. Cloud had also told him that Aeris liked white grape juice a lot.

Aeris gasped in delight when she realized that this was her favorite meal for when the weather was as nice as it was. "This was planned," she stated, looking at Cloud and Sephiroth.

Sephiroth grinned. "You caught us red handed," he said, putting his hands up. "I asked Cloud what you liked. I wanted you to enjoy your stay. I didn't want to serve you anything you didn't like!"

"Oh, you're so kind! Both of you." She smiled sweetly, and they all began eating. It tasted good, like, well, like a BLT and white grape juice.

"Just the right amount of everything. Not too much mayonnaise or anything. Cloud'll be just fine without TV dinners. "She chuckled, looking at Cloud. Cloud knew that she didn't particularly like TV dinners. She cooked for him whenever she got the chance to prevent him from having any.

"Oh, there are plenty of things I can't make," Sephiroth replied, "But you don't need to cook for us. We'll be just fine."

"Oh, it's really no problem!" she replied. But Sephiroth insisted that it wasn't needed for her to cook for them. She then glanced at Cloud, looking slightly concerned. "You're really quiet, Cloud. Are we not giving you enough opportunity to talk?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm just, erm, listening," Cloud said, holding his hands up.

"No, really, we'll let you talk." Sephiroth insisted. "Do you want me to leave? " _I hope he says no, damnit,_ he thought.

"Sephiroth!" Aeris said with such severity that it caused both Cloud and Sephiroth to stare at her. "Cloud isn't going to be rude like that. Isn't that right, Cloud?"

"Oh…yes… Of course," was his uncertain reply. Aeris had really shocked him, and he wanted to make her happy. But Aeris and Cloud knew he didn't really mean it.

_Oh, of course he doesn't want to get _Aeris_ upset. He doesn't care about me, though,_ Sephiroth thought spitefully. _But it's not Aeris,_ he added. _Not Aeris' fault…not Aeris' fault._ This last statement he thought over and over again until he was calmed down.

Aeris seemed to notice his unrest, because she next said "Sephiroth's being quite nice, isn't he Cloud?"

He saw Cloud thing about it. "Mm, well ,eh did make dinner. And he didn't hurt anyone, "he started, "so I guess he's been nice," he finished reluctantly.

"So, since he's being so nice, you shouldn't even think of being mean to him." Before Cloud could argue, she continued with "I know you would prefer it if he left, but you should be nice and talk, even it he _is_ here." She smiled at Sephiroth, and he smiled back, grateful she was helping him.

"Ummm…erm…" Cloud didn't know what to say. He had just been scolded by _Aeris!_ He had an expression of complete and utter disbelief that Aeris could even think of siding with Sephiroth when she could side with him. Maybe he had a thing or two to learn.

"So…that comedian was pretty funny, wasn't she?" Sephiroth started. A normal conversation ensued, until the topic had been completely worn out, and they had nothing else to talk about.

"Well, it's getting pretty late," Aeris commented, looking up at the clock. It was about 8. "I'd better be going. Have a nice night!" _And no fighting,_ Sephiroth thought, knowing that probably was what she was thinking.

"Bye!" Cloud and Sephiroth said in unison. Cloud didn't notice it though. As Aeris left, she winked at Sephiroth. And Sephiroth then knew that not only was she on his side in such matters, she would not try to steal Cloud from him. He had an ally.

**/A New Ally-end/**

A/N: Okay, now for the explanation. I'm currently in the process of writing another fic. The final fantasy crew have just defeated Sephiroth, so they're looking for something to do. They end up getting really really drunk. What starts it is Tifa saying "So…shat do we do now. It's _exactly_ what Sephiroth said, so of course it brought back memories. They didn't remember it themselves, but _someone_ did. I'm not telling you any more, though. You'll have to read it for yourself.

Well, how'd ya like the chapter? It took me a while, but it's finally up.


	4. Psychological Experimentation

**Ch. 4- Psychological Experimentation**

"Well, now that she's gone–" Sephiroth started, only to be interrupted by an overanalyzing Cloud.

"Whaduya mean, 'now that she's gone?' That seems like a pretty rude thing to say. I don't like your tone of voice." He may have continued, but Sephiroth held up his hand for silence, an amused grin on his face. He had an eyebrow slightly raised, and his eyes had amusement in them that matched that of the grin.

"Now, if you'll let me finish, you'll realize that I was not intending to be rude at all. I didn't know my tone of voice would be interpreted that way." His smile got slightly less like the amused variety. "I was just commenting on that we could get some cleaning accomplished. This place is a mess, but I couldn't clean before Aeris came. I got a bit distracted. "Really, Cloud, this place looks like Zack's old apartment." His smile became one of reminiscence.

Cloud studied Sephiroth's face a bit. "You really miss him, don't you," he said. This was one thing they had in common – their friendship with the goof Zack.

"Yeah," Sephiroth replied, obviously recalling a memory. "He was such a fool, but he was good at everything he did. You couldn't hate the bugger." He shook his head, chuckling a bit. "Well, lets not get depressed or anything. You _know_ how much Zack would hate that. Let's get cleaning," he said with finality in his tone.

That broke Cloud out of his reminiscing. "Whoa-whoa-whoah! We?" Sephiroth nodded, while putting his hair back in a loose ponytail. He used a brush to help accomplish the feat. "I don't think anything _needs_ cleaning!"

"Oh, it does. Didn't you hear me say it looks like Zack's old apartment? I meant it. It's even a bit dustier, I believe. Aeris' looking around reminded me. She seemed hard-pressed not to clean." Sephiroth responded. Not quite true, but it would most certainly get Cloud to clean.

Cloud blushed at that statement. "She did? I didn't notice." Sephiroth chuckled at Cloud's bewildered response, and handed him a feather duster.

"Here. Dusting is a simple enough task. You can handle it, correct?" Cloud started dusting, ignoring Sephiroth's statement. "Oh, don't be that way, Cloud. That makes it boring." If Cloud had been looking, he would have seen the mischievous smile dancing on his lips. As it was, he assumed that Sephiroth was simply being mean. It was easier for him to do that. It went along with his opinion of Sephiroth.

After a few minutes of cleaning the sink, Sephiroth paused. "Maybe I should turn on the radio," he mused. "Would you mind that, Cloud?" he called.

"Nng. Whatever," was Cloud's reply. He paused and then added "One condition. No headbanging or air guitar." Sephiroth almost commented on how that seemed like two conditions, but kept his mouth shut. He just turned on the radio to his favorite rock station. Well, not his favorite precisely, but his favorite that he had discovered in this area. As he sang to it, Cloud had to admit that Sephiroth had a very good baritone voice, and Cloud's tenor went along well with it. So they both sang to keep the boredom away, Cloud not really realizing that this, in a way, was getting along. And so they continued along, cleaning and singing away.

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Aeris smiled. Her nice little plan had worked. "Nice job, planting the thought of Zack into the situation. Thanks," she commented to what appeared to be nothing at all. She had one of her sweet smiles on her face, with a touch of mischief added into it.

_**Anything for you, my dear child**_ said a kindly female voice in reply. It was a voice speaking for Aeris' ears only. _**They really **_**should**_** try to both get along.**_

Aeris gave a knowing smile. "And they'll never suspect a thing. The topic of Zack was unfortunately a depressing one. Are you sure that we can't–" she started.

_**It is best this way, dear,**_ the voice said kindly._** They are strong. They'll be fine. Also, it would only cause complications. You should know that.**_ The air warmed slightly around Aeris, like a warm embrace.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Aeris grinned ruefully. "He's such a kind guy, though. It would be so nice if it were possible." She scuffed her feet on the ground. "But it's a foolish thought of mine. It would only hurt the relationship in the making. What's over is over."

_**You are wise, my child.**_ A light breeze caressed her cheek. She put her hands up to them, smiling. _**But perhaps one day…**_ And at that, Aeris knew that Mother Gaia was done speaking.

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Cloud and Sephiroth were just finishing up a conversation about Zack, which a song had gotten them back onto the topic of. "I suppose we can't leave the cleaning job unfinished," Sephiroth said with a sigh when it was over. He was no longer in the mood for it, though. "But we can at least wait until tomorrow," he finished before Cloud could get a word of complaint in. "Because I don't know about you, but I think that I could use some rest now. This took longer than I expected." It was pretty late, although Sephiroth didn't know the exact time. Really he didn't want to have a grumpy Cloud in the morning.

"Mn. Thanks," Cloud muttered. He went over to the forgotten duster and put it away. He then went over to the couch, sat down, and turned on the TV to the news channel.

"Thanks to a man in a red cape, the Nibel mountains' fiend population has been seriously reduced," said the announcer. "He refuses to state his name, but said that he was only trying to 'repent for his sins.' More news on this topic is unlikely, for he seemed to be the behind the scenes kind of guy." The announcer seemed a bit perturbed by the news, but tried hard to hide it.

"Heh. That must have been Vincent. I'm surprised they actually repeated what he said." Cloud said, laughing. Sephiroth only chuckled as he sat down, going into a meditative state until Cloud was off to bed and he could sleep.

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The next morning Sephiroth got up at 5:30. Having nothing better to do so early in the morning, he decided to see what Cloud's room looked like. Cloud would never let him near it while he was awake, so it would have to be while he was sleeping. And, the door was unlocked, because Cloud didn't of course think of the possibility of such a thing happening. He didn't trust Sephiroth, but he probably didn't believe that he would invade his privacy by entering his room.

So in the room he went, not making a sound other than a slight creak of the door, because it needed to be greased. You could never trust apartment doors. But Cloud slept right through it, of course. Quietly Sephiroth closed the door, and it emitted another soft creak, and Cloud slept through that as well. He didn't get perturbed by much less than an earthquake or a Bahumaut when he was sleeping.

Sephiroth looked around. The walls were a plain sky blue. There was a twin-sized bed, in which Cloud was sleeping quite soundly, and a bedside table next to the bed. There were things like an alarm clock and a small lamp on the table. To his left was a white closet door with a stain made by who knows what, and a dresser with a mirror to his right. The dresser had all sorts of objects covering it. There were old photographs, crumpled pieces of paper, and much, much more. He didn't want to think about some of the stuff on it. Cloud wasn't the most sanitary of people. The bed itself had an oak frame, with a turquoise comforter and white sheets. They were only half on Cloud, leaving his bare chest exposed.

'He looks so vulnerable,' thought Sephiroth. 'It's cute.' Cloud's hair, not gelled, looked not unlike chocobo down, all messy and soft-looking. He allowed himself a soft chuckle, knowing that it would not wake Cloud.

"Why, Mr. Shroom?" Cloud then muttered in his sleep. "I didn't do nuthin! … What? That wasn't me!" he continued, curling up. Then, with a start, as Sephiroth was leaning over him, amused, his head shot up, eyes wide open.

"…Shit," Sephiroth muttered. He hadn't predicted that a nightmare would wake Cloud up. Cloud turned to Sephiroth and let out a yelp of surprise.

"How'd you get in here?" He shouted. Sephiroth's response of "through the door, of course" did nothing to help calm him down. "Bu-but! I never said you could come in here! And when I'm _SLEEPING_?!" He threw his pillow at Sephiroth, glaring.

Sephiroth sighed. The dear Chocobo head excelled at throwing temper tantrums. It was one of the things that he remembered observing while under Jenova's influence. "I did not expect this to happen. Although I should have foreseen something similar occurring," he replied calmly, catching the pillow. "Although it is rather humorous to see you like this..

"You creep!" Cloud glared. "Just _never_ do that again." Sephiroth nodded. Cloud began to calm down. "Leave. _Now,_" he said through gritted teeth. "_Please_." And Sephiroth complied, not wishing to have to deal with an overly grumpy Cloud all day. So he left, and began to prepare some breakfast. He knew that Cloud would be unable to sleep for more than an hour more, and he wanted to make cinnamon rolls. So he dug around in the cabinets, and got to work.

About an hour later, as expected, Cloud walked sleepily into the room. Sephiroth immediately handed him some coffee. Milk and 5 sugars, just how he liked it. Sephiroth found it disgusting to have so much sugar in it, but he wasn't going to complain. "Mm… smells like cinnamon," Cloud muttered.

"Yes, indeed. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast," Sephiroth said. He just hoped that they tasted okay. He had never been more than just 'efficient' at baking. He could bake simple, edible things, which was better than he knew Cloud could do. "And they're ready to come out, it seems," he said as the timer went off. "So let's eat." Neither said another word, and they ate away.

/Psychological Experimentation - end/


End file.
